AFRICA

Bata, Equatorial Guinea | AFP |  The leaders of the oil-rich African nations of Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Congo will sue Transparency International over a case in France involving allegedly ill-gotten properties worth hundreds of millions, President Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea has said. French human rights lawyer William Bourdon …

East African Court of Justice rules on European Partnership Agreement EPA Arusha, Tanzania| EAST AFRICA COMMUNITY MEDIA |  The First Instance Division of the East African Court had declined to grant orders sought by one Castro Pius from Tanzania, to stop the Partner States which have not signed the European Partnership Agreement …

United Nations, United States | AFP | A global treaty banning nuclear weapons is set to be adopted at the United Nations on Friday despite opposition from the United States, Britain, France and other nuclear powers that boycotted negotiations. Supporters describe the treaty as a historic achievement but the nuclear-armed states …

Juba, South Sudan | AFP | Witnesses described looting and finding a dead body, but the trial of 12 soldiers accused of raping foreign aid workers in Juba proceeded Thursday in the absence of the victims. The chilling attack on a hotel compound during fierce fighting in the South Sudanese capital …

Lome, Togo | AFP | The voodoo follower stood bare-chested with beads around his neck in the centre of the public square in Bè, a working class district of Togo’s capital, Lome. A dozen priests surrounded him as he made incantations, threw soil and water, and gave an offering to …

Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | A military court in DR Congo on Thursday handed stiff jail terms, including life imprisonment, to eight soldiers for killing civilians in the violence-wracked central Kasai region following mounting pressure from the UN. In less than a year, brutal violence in four central Kasai provinces …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Tanzania’s government must stop issuing threats against rights groups working with teen mothers or campaigning for gay rights, a joint statement from these organisations said Thursday. President John Magufuli and top government officials have issued a series of statements vowing to deregister or charge non-governmental …

Lusaka, Zambia | AFP |  Zambian President Edgar Lungu on Thursday justified imposing a state of emergency by alleging that opposition parties were behind a string of arson attacks intended “to create terror and panic”. Lungu denied he was establishing a dictatorship in Zambia — until recently a relatively stable …

Tripoli, Libya | AFP | Stray fire from fighting between armed groups that control Libya’s Mitiga airport killed five people at a nearby beach and forced the suspension of flights on Wednesday, authorities said. The clashes broke out Tuesday between the groups at Mitiga, a former military airbase east of …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | Three policemen were killed Wednesday in seven hours of fighting with suspected Shabaab militants who attacked their post in southeastern Kenya, police said. Regional police chief Akello Odhiambo said the attackers raided the Pandanguo Police Camp in the coastal Lamu region. “They razed a police camp …